In some cultures, removing shoes upon entering a home is a sign of respect.  When I was younger, I remember some of my friends who were raised in various parts of Asia would instinctively halt at my threshold to take off their footwear. They were seldom deterred by the site of piles of books or paper on the same floor. They respected my home, and it didn’t matter if I wasn’t the tidiest householder.   Some other friends, who were practicing Muslims, did the same. Even if I told them that I didn’t mind shoes in my house, they insisted on removing theirs.  Now, many years later, as I have become increasingly preoccupied with finding eco-friendly housekeeping solutions, I recall the essential wisdom of those practices.  Keeping outside shoes outside prevents dirt, germs, and other grime from gathering in your home.  Maintaining a green home is not just about finding numerous eco-friendly products to replace conventional ones. It’s also about changing your attitudes and practices about use.  The less grime you track in, the less you need to blast it away with products.  A pretty simple truth.

So let's say you already know and accept that outside shoes belong outside, you might wonder how you can convey this to guests. Not everyone who comes to your home will share your commitment to sustainable cleanliness.  Not everyone will have socks clean enough to expose.  Some people will be ashamed about athlete’s feet or may simply be unwilling to bend to unravel a complicated matrix of laces or buttons.  So should you ban them? Probably not.  There are several things you can do to make your shoe-free home guest-friendly.  Here are some tips:

1. Have guest footwear available – there are many cheap varieties of athletic sandals that can be worn with socks. They are easy to keep clean between guests.

2. Put your plastic bags to use – Give recycled plastic bags to utility or other workmen who need to enter your home. Maybe the plumber or your landlord won't remove his boots.  But you can offer them a covering.

3. Buy a nice shoe rack and keep it at your door – don’t expect people to read your intentions. A subtle way of introducing the shoe policy is to have a shoe rack located in a place that is accessible, attractive, and visible to your guests.

If all else fails, put up a polite sign.  I saw someone do this, and I am sure it’s effective, if a bit straightforward. How you convey this policy in a clear but hospitable way will require some finesse on your part.

The Pathmark on Lyons Ave  is in a bustling shopping center just beyond the Weequahic section (along the Newark-Irvington border). The store is relatively clean, and has all of the things that you’d expect to find in a typical Pathmark.  Since it’s not always possible to make the trek to Montclair, Vaux Hall, or West Orange to shop at Whole Foods, we thought we’d give you a sense of what a health-conscious, natural products-interested consumer might expect on typical day at this particular Pathmark. We went just before rush hour, and while the store was pretty full, it definitely wasn’t uncomfortably crowded. The lines were long (because there weren’t too many lanes open), but our cashier was courteous and efficient.

Produce: There were very few organic options.  While there were some Greenway brand organic herbs available for $2.99 per package, most of the other produce was  just ok. Some veggies, like the okra and yellow squash looked seriously damaged, but on the plus side, the produce section features a wide selection of leafy greens that seem, on the whole pretty good.

Soy/Vegetarian Products: The major varieties of Nasoya Tofu were available for $ 2.99 and $ 3.29 respectively. We also saw Gimmie Lean Sausage style veggie patties, and Galaxy Nutritional Foods veggie cheese slices.

Meat: Absolutely no organic meat.

Canned Goods: We were happy to see 9 kinds of Amy’s soups for sale here!

Dairy: Three kinds of organic milk and Greenway Brand Organic Sharp Cheddar for $3.99.

Cleaning Products: The most widely available eco-friendly cleaning products were made by Greenway. Some products include, Large (30 gal) trash bags made of 65% recycled plastic sold for $2.59, and Tall (13 gal) Kitchen Bags, also made of 65% recycled plastic sold for $2.59. Some of the more popular eco-friendly products were also available including Seventh Generation (Wipes, and Dish Liquid), Mrs. Myers (countertop spray), and Method (anti-bacterial wipes), Bon Ami Abrasive Cleaner.  There were also a number of products from Martha Steward's green product line as well. The selection of eco-friendly products was limited, but acceptable. Maybe we overlooked it, but we didn’t see any natural/eco-friendly hand soap! And we were a bit surprised. 

Overall, we thought that this Pathmark was pretty good.  We did notice that several price tags were removed or misplaced, so it was sometimes difficult to figure out exactly how much things cost, we would still give this store 3.5/5 Green Hearts